Merlynn Tong on Turning Grief into Singapore’s Funniest Ghost Story

Behind the Scenes of Congratulations, Get Rich! : Writing, Performing and Everything In Between 

Meet Merlynn Tong – actor, playwright, and the creative force behind Congratulations, Get Rich!, a darkly funny new work co-produced by La Boite Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, and Singapore Repertory Theatre. The play marks Tong’s return home to Singapore – and her most personal work yet. In a quick catch-up with her after the show’s final run in Brisbane, Tong reflects on juggling her dual roles onstage and off, writing through loss with laughter, and finding joy in absurdity. 

1.  As both the playwright and an actor in Congratulations, Get Rich!, what’s the most thrilling part for you in juggling both roles? 

The most thrilling part is getting to not only witness but be within the universe of my story, words and songs coming to life every night! It is particularly magnificent when I am working alongside such astonishing performers like Kimie, Hui Xuan and Zac. 

It is also especially exciting to get to feel in my body if the writing is working. As a group of actors, I feel like we grow and enhance the show more and more with every audience, so it's been a huge pleasure to be a part of that intricate process too. 

2. Your writing often swings between the deeply personal and the hilariously outrageous. What made you decide, ‘I need to write this play’? 

I have felt a deep need to write this play as a guttural response to approaching the age of my mother’s death. She took her own life at 45 years old. In the play, I have altered the age to 38 because of the potency of the Chinese phrase San Ba (meaning: Bitch). Also, it was particularly alluring to me that International Women’s Day is on March the 8th. I am curious not only about the personal legacy approaching the age of my mother’s death, but also about the broader notion of womanhood and disappearance from society as we get older. And what better way to explore all these hefty notions than via comedy and karaoke and hungry ghosts! I love a dark comedy, I love shows that explore deep grief or difficult subjects by making me laugh and then cry and then laugh again. I love shows that make me feel deeply and think differently. I hope that in this production, we offer these things to our audience too. 

3. You’ve tackled Greek tragedy, family drama, and now karaoke-fuelled comedy with ghosts. How do you think this play shows a different side of you as a storyteller and performer?  

I think that in Congratulations, Get Rich!, I have really leaned deeply into the wonderful possibilities of a comedy by utilising the supernatural and absurd family relationships. It helps greatly that my Director Courtney Stewart is a master of comedy and we have the same silly, bizarre sense of humour. We have tried to create a piece that still holds great dramatic possibilities and depth of story while foiling it throughout with comedy. I am very thrilled by what we have achieved as storytellers. 
 
Having mostly written plays that are based in Singapore, this is also the first time I have really challenged myself to blend my Singaporean and Australian selves into this 90-minute, karaoke, ghostly, all-singing and dancing madcap adventure! 

It is also brand-new for me to write songs. And my goodness have I LOVED it. It’s been a bit of a fantasy of mine to write songs and with the magic of the incredible Guy Webster, we have co-written 8 original songs for the show! I have also never sung on stage so that was terrifying, especially alongside performers who are all trained Musical Theatre geniuses. Alex Van den Broek, our Music Director and voice coach, is so patient with me and really gave me a voice. 

4. Congratulations, Get Rich! is the result of three powerhouse theatre companies coming together — La Boite Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, and SRT. What’s it been like being in the middle of this creative mash-up? 

It has been an absolute dream. These three cities, and companies mean a great deal to me. Singapore is where I was born, where I grew up for 22 years, where all my stories are fueled, where my endless obsession will lie. Brisbane is my new home, where I have built my adult life. Sydney is actually where a lot of my professional career lives, I spend a lot of the year there with many incredible artists. 
 
In terms of the companies, they are also so significant because La Boite is where I made my mainstage debut as an actor, Sydney Theatre Company is where I did my first state theatre production, where I have subsequently worked as an actor and playwright over the years. And Singapore Repertory Theatre will be the theatre that takes me home for the first time: this will be a monumental moment for me. I will also be turning 38-years-old on Opening Night in Singapore, how wild is that? 

5. Share with us a line or moment in the show that always makes you crack up, no matter how many times you perform it.  

There are so many! These actors are all so funny. There is a moment where the character Gma (short for Grandma) is told she looks good and in response, she flicks a very small piece of her hair and says, “When have I ever looked bad?”. That gesture sends me to the moon every time. Also, I can be so childish, there is a singular fart joke in the show and it takes all of me to not laugh at it. There is also a moment where I do a very silly dance to try and sell a VIP Gold Membership Package for the Karaoke, it is so ridiculous and has an intense amount of eye contact, it makes me laugh a lot inside as I’m doing it. 

Experience Merlynn’s karaoke-fuelled comedy in Congratulations, Get Rich!, running from 29 Oct 2025 at the Drama Centre Theatre. Book your tickets here.